I do test every single pigtail and extension cord. That said the extensions have been good, the 3 core T's have been almost perfect. His 2 core T's were 90% failure on my first order. Some of the molding on my 3 core and 4 core t's have visible wires showing.

The shipping on the pre-made extensions adds up fast, but I ordered 10 of nearly all his sizes at the time. I found the 5' and 10' to be the most useful and if he had 3' or 2' I would buy 10 of those too.

I ordered a lot of white thinking it would blend in with the snow, but honestly now that he has made the black the same size that will be the likely color I order from now on. It blends in better even during the day than the white does.

Distance to first node was a concern for me, but even driving off the original Zues 8 and between elements 10' has not been an issue for me.

This year will order at least another 10 sets of 5, and 10' and perhaps a set of 5 25' or maybe 10. With the uamp and F16v2, driving that distance is not an issue.

If you get around to ordering maybe we can do a group by and split up that shipping a bit.

I have had better success with the extensions rather than the pigtails but they were also bought at different times so that is a big factor.

I did not buy any pigtails this year to do my windows and house outline, I instead bought a bunch of 5', 10', and 15' extensions and cut them as necessary to make the pigtails I did need. It also made testing a breeze compared to pigtails. I tested almost every single extension before using it, but I tested in batches of 5 or so by connecting 5 end to end and testing the group. If it failed the test then I worked down to the extension level to find the bad one. I only found one bad extension out of the 50-60 that I used. One more died during the display so the failure rate was pretty low.

This year I will order more of the 10' and 15' extensions because I had several places where I had to string together 2-3 or more of the 5' ones because I ran out of 10&15. I currently have all white except for my flood lights but will probably order a mix of white and black this year since black blends into the grass better.

I have used the 3 and 4 wire waterproof connectors (pigtails) for several years and have never had a bad one. Last year I bought 10 each or the 5ft and 10ft extensions and 5 20ft. Only used 1 20ft to get to my megatree star and used a couple of 10fts. Used all the 5ft and wished I had more. No failures in what I used.

Keep in mind that there are different diameter connections on these type of connectors, so not all of the extensions will work together. Some of the pigtails that came with DLA smart sting controllers that I purchased a few years back don't fit with the extensions from DiyLEDExpress. (The extensions themselves fit with the connectors they sell which I have used on other controllers like the F16V2, and have not had any failures due to weather in rain or snow... only rabbits) So make sure whatever you get, you double check the diameter.

Do the 3 core from Ray vary in size also ? Everything I have is from Ray. Had one batch a few years back that was 1/3 bad pigtails. He did give me replacements at no cost .... But since zi didn't test them prior to using on boards ... I paid a high price and learned how critical testing is. I love the idea of using extensions for pigtails and how easy they are to test !

Keep in mind that there are different diameter connections on these type of connectors, so not all of the extensions will work together. Some of the pigtails that came with DLA smart sting controllers that I purchased a few years back don't fit with the extensions from DiyLEDExpress. (The extensions themselves fit with the connectors they sell which I have used on other controllers like the F16V2, and have not had any failures due to weather in rain or snow... only rabbits) So make sure whatever you get, you double check the diameter.

It's not just diameter differences. The connectors are keyed so the correct pins mate with each other. so even if you get the same diameter but from a different vendor they may not be keyed the same

I purchased pigtails from diyledexpress, and another aliexpress vendor, and while the same outside dimension, and being keyed the same, the pins themselves are different sizes, so they are incompatible.

Do the 3 core from Ray vary in size also ? Everything I have is from Ray. Had one batch a few years back that was 1/3 bad pigtails. He did give me replacements at no cost .... But since zi didn't test them prior to using on boards ... I paid a high price and learned how critical testing is. I love the idea of using extensions for pigtails and how easy they are to test !

It "seems" that Ray carries primarily 2 sizes of the connectors. I have come across 13.5mm and 15mm on the AliExpress site (http://www.aliexpress.com/store/all-wholesale-products/701799.html) so there could possibly be more as well.You will see the link to the two sizes about halfway down on the left side Category Bar. Bad enough to get different sizes but to also get them with the wiring different even in the same "batch" really makes you mad!It is a shame that there is no real standard for things like these and now it seems that the American suppliers who carry these have opted to go for there own sizes as well? I saw 12mm ones on one of the common sites on here but don't remember which vendor it was offhand.

and now it seems that the American suppliers who carry these have opted to go for there own sizes as well? I saw 12mm ones on one of the common sites on here but don't remember which vendor it was offhand.